McCain's Pick of Palin a Game Changer

One way or the other, history will be made on January 20, 2009, when the nation gets either its first black president or its first female vice president.

That reality came into focus today with news that John McCain tapped the relatively unknown and relatively young first-term governor from Alaska, Sarah Palin, to be his running mate. McCain is expected to make the announcement at noon EDT in Ohio.

McCain passed over far more seasoned folks for the job, including his primary rival Mitt Romney. So what does Palin bring to the table in the contest between the McCain team and the newly minted Democratic duo of Barack Obama and Joe Biden?

-- Conservatives should be happy: There was much fear in G.O.P. circles that McCain would go for a pro-choice Republican. Have no fear, Palin—a mother of five—is a strong opponent of abortion rights.

-- God bless my gun: Even Democrats in Alaska are pro-gun, so it's no surprise that that Palin is a big on the Second Amendment and has been a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.

-- A friend of the energy business: Just two days ago, Palin signed a bill authorizing the state of Alaska to award TransCanada Corp. a $27 billion contract to carry natural gas from the Arctic to U.S. markets. Gas deposits were found decades ago on Alaska's North Slope, but until now were undeveloped because they couldn't be reached.

-- Electoral votes: No one can say the nominees were looking for electoral vote advantage with their running mate choices. How does McCain counter Obama's pick of a No. 2 from a state with a measly three electoral votes? By picking a potential veep from another state with three small electoral votes.

This is going to be some election.

J. Jennings Moss

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